By Danielle Carr, ’18

It’s often the little things that matter the most, small touches that have a large impact on someone’s day. This was something understood well by Casey Abernethy (’20), whose final service project for her Social Justice Discovery Term was to install free feminine products in bathrooms around the Triangle. The goal of the project was to show what advocacy means to them.

At the end of the summer, Emma Zayas (’18) contacted her to see if the idea could be implemented at CA. The female students know that the old feminine product machines that no longer work or have anything in them, so free tampons or pads were not a resource that was available. Seeking to change that, Casey and Emma applied for a PTAA grant, a process that Emma found “took a lot longer and was more taxing than we had thought”. Besides that, however, once it was approved, they found the PTAA was “super helpful”.

Emma and Casey coordinated with the Facilities staff and Ms. Clarkson and set up baskets of pads and tampons by the sinks in all the girl’s bathrooms. They were accompanied by signs designed by senior Charlie East saying to only take what was needed. Despite one of the biggest worries was that the products would be hoarded, according to Emma, they’ve only been refilled a few times.

Unlike a lot of similar projects on campus, this one wasn’t advertised as heavily. Although women and periods are talked about far more openly, a stigma still remains. Emma stated, “We didn’t want boys to make a joke out of it if we presented it at a town hall – they still freak out if they see a tampon”. So, the products were put out without announcement, but they were definitely noticed and appreciated. Those small baskets provide relief and security for girls in a time of need, and although they may not seem like a lot, it has the potential to turn someone’s day around. For Casey, advocacy doesn’t always have to come in a dramatic fashion – it can be done quietly and with consideration and purpose.